From Darkness and Light
by SamiiSunshine
Summary: Avari is a new arrival in the YYH town. Except, she's not just there as a new transfer student, she's there to try and stop the Yahan alliance from opening a mysterious gate and turning the world to their means. Will she be able to? Or will she fail?
1. Chapter 1

The lights flashed on and off , reflecting a hundred different colors in her eyes. The air pulsated with the throbbing heart beat of relentless bass, and all around the girl, a sea of wild, sweat drenched hair flailed and flied as the mob pulsated and swirled in convulsive ecstasy. Filled with the party's energy, she found herself joining in the tantric dance. To any untrained eye, she would seem to fit right in. A bit short standing under 5'4', the young woman was strikingly beautiful with shoulder length choppy midnight black hair interspersed with electric blue highlights. Most would describe her icy pale blue eyes as other-worldly, and those people would be far closer to the truth than they would ever suspect. Her name was Avari Midou, and although she had lived much of her life as the last of the Midou ninja clan, that was the beginning of the most important chapter of her story.

As enthralled as she seemed within the dance, her icy eyes continually scanned the club with the intensity of a predator, seeming to glow eerily whenever the flashing strobes took their pauses, leaving the area drenched in smoky darkness. She was looking for a clue that would help her fulfill her mission, though she didn't seem to be having much luck.

Hours passed, and the mass of people began to thin out. Finally, lights began to dim and die, and the music slowed to a faint hum. A garbled voice announced that the club was closing, but she felt like she had just been wasting her time. Pacing deliberately off the wooden floor of the dance space and toward the bar stool where she had thrown her leather jacket several hours earlier, she brushed her damp hair back from her face. Avari's black heeled boots made a faint clicking noise as they connected with the tile of the bar room space- a noise the previous din from the numerous speakers mounted on every available wall and ceiling space had drowned out completely. She stopped in her tracks as a distinctly foul and ill-intentioned aura penetrated Avari's awareness.

'**Your coat'**

She looked up, icy eyes contracting almost painfully at the bright white bar light that haloed the darkened source of the masculine voice...the source of the aura. The man looked at Avari with a perverse glint in his eye, and his gaze made her quite uncomfortable. She mumbled a thank-you, took her coat, and turned to leave.

'**Wanna go get some coffee or something?' **His voice oozed with fake charm in a grotesque attempt at hiding any ulterior motives.

Avari merely rolled your eyes, halfway wishing he were demonic instead of pathetically immoral._At least demons have some excuse for being wretched._ She thought to herself, turning away. Reaching for the door, she didn't even justify the man with a response- he didn't deserve the courtesy of a reply.

The door shut behind her and she sighed as she stepped into the cold outdoor air. **'Time to head home, I guess' **She told herself, beginning the trek back home. Avari moved quickly down the paved streets, totally immersed in her own contemplations. She was thinking about how far she was from accomplishing her objectives and how her night seemed to be almost a complete waste. That wasn't getting her any closer to her goal, either.

The young woman was so wrapped up in her ponderings that she arrived at the apartment building before she knew it. She quickly punched in the security code and opened the door to feel a rush of warm air burst from the vent above the threshold.She quietly made your way up the old creaky stairs to her room on the third floor. Finally at the door, she fumbled for a moment with her key chain, struggling to find _'the round one'_ to this particular door. Somewhat tired from her night but still persistent, she swore under breath noting the fact that they all looked fairly round. But, all she could do was patiently try them over and over again until she finally found the right one.

She inserted key after key into the door, irritation growing with every failed attempt. Frustrated, she shoved a square headed key into the slot, and was surprised to feel it slide into place and unlock as she turned it in the small slot. Making an unintelligible hissing noise, Avari remembered that it was her old apartment that required the round key. The door opened with a faint creak.

Observing the apartment she noted the sad fact that it was as it had always been- dark and empty. 'Spacious' would be the most optimistic tag for it. Under a window on the wall opposite the door was a futon. Since she slept there most nights, a black blanket was folded neatly over one of the arms. To her left was the refrigerator/microwave/ coffee maker ensemble which made up her less than satisfactory kitchen, and to her right was a desk with a TV and a computer. A small bathroom was behind a door at the far corner. Though it wasn't exactly a dream home it was what Avari called home.

The girl kicked off her shoes and hung her jacket on the door as she made her way towards the futon.

**'You're in rather late tonight. Anything interesting happen?' **A voice cooed from the direction of her television.

She looked over at a pair of purple slit eyes glowing above the screen of the television set. **'Not really. I didn't find what I was looking for if that's what you mean...'**

**'Meet anyone nice?'**

**'I didnt move here to meet people, Vasq...'**

**'Kill anyone, then?'**

She shot the eyes a nasty look. **'No. I'd be in a bit better mood if I had, though.'**

**'Aren't we bloodthirsty tonight...'**

**'****No. Just freaking bored, and a bit irritated. I feel like I'm losing ground...getting rusty.' **Avari sighed and ran a hand through her hair. **'Like no matter how fast I run to catch up, I just keep getting farther away...'**

**'I think you have a pretty good lead this time, you should be back on track soon.'**

**'...I really hope so' **Plopping down on the futon a small creature glided gracefully down from Avari's television. With the silent proficiency of any creature of flight, it landed next to her- a reptilian creature the size of a small cat with teal skin, delicate bat like wings and a long swishing tail. The young woman reached over and petted it gently on the head.

Vasq looked up at her gently. **'You better get some sleep if you're going to be any good tomorrow.'**

She looked down at the delicate creature, the traces of a smirk evident on her face. **'I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself.'**

**'I know that...I just don't want you taking unnecessary risks...you have a lot at stake.' **He reminded her gently, warning in his tone.

**'Heh. You worry too much, Vasq.' **Yawning, she reached for her blanket.

The little dragon scowled. **'And you dont worry hardly enough, Avi'**

**'Pft.' **With that she grabbed her blanket, rolled over, and fell fast asleep. As Vasq curled up peacefully in the crook of her knees, dreams of the Midou clan and how she needed to avenge them haunted her dreams, giving her a less than peaceful rest.

Avari woke up late that morning and rushed to get ready. Even with Vasq's help, she barely had time to drink her ritual morning cup of coffee and make it out the door with any time left. With a small goodbye to her little friend, she headed for school at full speed, desperately not wanting to be late the first day.

She smiled triumphantly as she saw the gates to the school building appear at the crest of the hill. _Haha! Made it. _She thought smugly to herself. Suddenly Avari found herself plummeting face first towards the ground, a godly amount of weight bearing down on your back. _What the?! Why am I falling?_ Flashed through her mind as the ground met her body.

**'Oh my God, I'm SO sorry!' **

Avari twisted her body around and looked up to see a girl about her age looking down at her with dismay. After a taking a moment to gather herself she focused in with a slight effort on this girl's aura. Surprised, Avari blinked several times, unable to fully believe her senses...all around this girl there was nothing but goodwill and kindness. Still fighting the confusion she looked up at her for a moment as though she had two heads.

**'Are you okay?' I really wasn't looking where I was going...' **She held out her hand to help up the girl she had just knocked down. **'My name's Keiko.'**

_Don't see an aura like that everyday… _Avari mused, accepting the girl's hand**.**

Avari paused for a moment, still taking in the situation. **'I'm Avari...' **She muttered, finally composed and on her feet, releasing Keiko's hand.

**'You must be new, huh?'**

She nodded, wondering if it was that obvious. **'Is it that obvious?' **So of course, she just had to ask.

**'No..but...ah!' **She stopped mid-sentence as she glanced, horrified, at her watch. **'We're going to be late!' **She grabbed Avari's hand and they both resumed running into the building. She turned to her, **'do you know what class you're in?'**

**'Um...C'**

Keiko smiled brightly. **'Good! Me too! Follow me!'**

All Avari could do was follow her, still a bit confused. She seemed like a nice enough person. _Perhaps we could be friends…_ Pondering this as they ran, she then remembered what she had told Vasq the night before. _No, I didn't come here to make friends. _She reminded herself, but perhaps if she just managed to pick a few up along the way…that couldn't be so bad, could it?

After sprinting down a few more hallways and turning sharply into a brightly lit room filled with students, Avari took her seat in the classroom and a few moments later, school began. About fifteen minutes into the professor's lesson, a young black haired man burst into the room. Her eyes widened. His aura was immense, far beyond the limits of what normal humans should be capable of...far beyond the limits of many demons as well...but there was no trace of evil in it...no youki of any sort either...

She eyed him curiously as the teacher chewed him out. Avari picked up the fact that his name was Urameshi...Yusuke. Well, well, _now_ things were getting interesting. It seemed that moving there was the right choice after all. Vasq had been right about her lead, apparently.

After the Yusuke kid had taken his seat, class resumed, and Avari sunk into her thoughts. A strong youki suddenly burst through her thoughts and she turned her head sharply to the side, glancing out the window to a small figure cloaked in shadow crouching on the branch of the tree. Although she normally had some difficulty getting solid readings on most demons, she was certain that the source was malevolent. It seemed to look right at her with eyes glowing a furious crimson.

Avari was immediately taken slightly aback...she was normally quite proficient at suppressing her spirit energy...how could it have singled her out? Curious, she stared back at the demon, and as suddenly it had appeared, it vanished.

Although a little unnerved, she felt that finally she might be at the right place at the right time. The rest class passed quickly, her mind occupied and...

**TADA! End of chapter 1.**

So uh, who is she? What's her motive? What's her goal? Heck, what's going on? Well, you'll find out a bit more next time. So tune in. And you know what you want to do? Gimme feedback! Which is totally almost as exciting as what'll happen next time.


	2. Chapter 2

Class flew by for Avari. Partly because she was paying absolutely no attention at all to the lesson, and partly because her mind was churning about a thousand miles a minute, leaping between a zillion different fact sets and situations at the speed of thought. She seemed to be picking up odd supernatural energy signatures from various locations in the school. The girl could sense the young man her professor had called Yusuke earlier near the back of the class.

In the static of Avari's mind, she felt at least four other presences, but it was all too garbled to really sort out any inkling of their nature or intent. Her thoughts finally settled on the eerie red eyes that had seemed to look at her, almost through her, from their perch in the tree outside the window. _Who could they have belonged to? Could the Shikigami Clan be so far ahead of me already? _Before she knew it, class has ended. As the bell rang Avari was already on her feet. She was going to investigate those eyes before her curiosity burned her up.

She gave a quick wave to Keiko, and was out the door before she had a chance to respond. Sprinting, Avari navigated the halls and make her way to the area beneath the classroom window. Looking up at the tree she was reminded of the ominous presence that sat there a few hours earlier. Putting two fingers to her head, she closed her eyes and focused all your energy into scanning the area...finding no sign of the malevolent energy. Taking a few moments to ensure she wasn't missing even the smallest hint, Avari cursed quietly under her breath.

Suddenly she felt a hand on your shoulder. **'You okay?'**

The concentration she had formed shattered at the appearance of a rather powerful energy signature...and, she thought to herself- one eye twitching slightly- a rather obnoxious voice. The girl spun around to see a tall orange haired man standing in what seems to be a failed attempt at a heroic pose a few feet to her left. Raising an eyebrow, she wondered why he was touching her anyway, she wasn't sure that was entirely necessary.

**'My name's Kuwabara...you seem to be new...I notice all the pretty faces around here, and I **_**know**_** I would remember yours if it had...er...been around here...not just your face, but you, y'know?' **

He did his best to present a dashing smile, but she couldn't manage to keep her face from visibly paling Who was this guy? Unphased by Avari's initial reaction he continued on, erasing any thought she might have had about inquiring further about his odd energy signature. She immediately begin to look for an escape route. It was at this point she remembered why she generally avoided people- most of them seemed to be freaks. Maybe meeting Keiko earlier that morning had just been sheer luck.

'**KUWABARA, YOU MEATHEAD!' **A loud voice interjected and Avari felt the return of the presence from the classroom. Confirming her energy sense, Yusuke strode into her view followed by Keiko.

**'Avari!' **She approaches you, looking concerned, **'is everything okay? You left so suddenly- I was worried...'**

_Worried, why?_She wondered, but didn't actually voice this. A little confused by her reaction, she nodded dumbly. **"Uh, yeah, everything's fine."** She told her simply, furrowing her brow for a moment.

She seems to look relieved and motions to the two men with weird energy signatures. Avari sweat dropped heavily as she noticed that they seemed to be pounding on each other while slinging various insults back and forth. Keiko sweat dropped as well and cleared her throat loudly, bringing the carnage to an abrupt stop as both men froze mid-beating.

**'Etoh...those are my friends. The one that was late to class today...well he's almost always late to class unless **_**I**_** get him there...'** She paused to shoot Yusuke a look and he grimaced **'...is Yusuke Urameshi.' **

**'Hey.' **Yusuke released Kuwabara from the headlock he had him in, allowing the taller man to fall ungracefully into a heap on the grass with a disgruntled _'Yarou...'_. He gave a slight wave and then motioned to Kuwabara dismissively. **'I guess you already met this meathead. I'm sorry you had to suffer through that so soon, most people don't have to put up with his stupidity for at least a few days.'** Kuwabara stood up and smiled dumbly as he rubbed his head.

_What an interesting little group, though they seem friendly enough._ Avari told herself, glancing around at all of them in turn. **'I'm Avari Midou.' **She bowed slightly, and the two men did the same.

**'So what made you take off in such a hurry?' **Yusuke asked, causing Avari to look up at him sharply. She hadn't prepared a cover story assuming that nobody would actually remember to ask her. She didn't know them well enough to trust them with a completely honest answer, even though they seemed well intentioned, so she just simply told them that she was looking for something. It seemed vague enough to be more than believable and she decided to leave it at that. Always stick to the basics.

Deciding that this would be a good chance to get some information by observation, she decided to tell them the basic truth**. 'I was a little freaked out. Earlier, I thought I saw something gross looking with red eyes sitting in that tree...' **To her surprise, the group seemed to take her seriously. The mood darkened and they all exchanged what seem to be meaningful looks. It was a slight surprise to her, but she decided it was better to take it all in stride then to show the surprise on her face.

**'Did you find out what it was?' **Yusuke asked her simply, hopefully believing her story.

**'Um...no. When I got here, it was gone...'**

She caught herself thinking back to the very reason she moved to this town...to this school. Avari had spent months gathering information in the seediest realms of the Makai underground, and found that solid facts were hard to come by- especially when you began discussing demonic movements in the human world. Everyone had their own interests to think of and everything was veiled in secrecy and intrigue. When it came to upper level involvement from the likes of Koenma and Botan, rumors were plentiful, but verifiable facts were almost impossible to come by. The most solid and repeatedly verified lead that she had come across were numerous tales of pronounced supernatural activity in this particular area. Although skeptical at first, she now found herself thinking that surely that curious reaction was proof enough that at least these three were not new to demonic appearances. Avari realized that her hunch might just pay off for once; this could be the break she had been looking for...

**'Hey, we should probably head home, don't you think?'** Keiko volunteered with a hint of urgency in her voice.

Yusuke met her eyes and nodded. **'Yeah, you and Avari go ahead, Keiko. I need to go to a club for a bit...'**

Avari didn't really want to go home- she wanted to find out what the source of those eyes were. The fact that she was positive it was a demon wasn't enough, she wanted to know why it had seemed that it had been looking at her during class. She agreed to going home with Keiko though anyway, if only so that she didn't draw suspicion to herself.Keiko turned to her as she picked up her bag. **'You live in the same direction as me, right?'**

Avari nodded. **'Yeah- I think so.'**

As the two of them turned to leave, Keiko looked back at Yusuke. **'Be careful, you two...'**

Avari glanced back as well to see the dark haired man nod and give a confident smile.The apprehension she was feeling began to fade as she got caught up in a lively conversation with Keiko. It had been years since she had met anyone this easy to talk to, and the chance to open up and relax, even a miniscule amount, was immensely gratifying. Despite a few lingering thoughts about possible demons in the area, Avari found herself smiling genuinely.

The breeze seemed to pick up slightly as the two of them entered the residential area where they lived, and a familiar unease resettles in Avari's mind. She began to pay less attention to the conversation as her senses stretched out in all directions, focusing solely on her surroundings. Although the area itself is was urban, the sidewalk was surrounded by fences, bushes, and trees. Despite the wind, the young woman heard an irregular rustling coming from a patch of tall grass a little before where Keiko had said her house was. Like a demented jack in the box, a lanky gray skinned demon sprang from its hiding place in the tall weeds and swung mercilessly at the both of them with solid looking sledge hammer sized hands. Acting on instinct, Avari pushed Keiko out of the way and rolled under its swing as she drew two kunai from hidden sheaths on her belt. When she emerged crouching from her roll, she was facing the monster's back side. The creature turned its head confusedly as it looked for its second victim, its cold marble black eyes meeting hers only in time to witness her slash both its Achilles tendons with a single well-trained flick of her wrist. Unable to support itself, the monster tumbled to the ground and flailed uselessly at her with its large arms.

Avari sheathed her kunai in a swift motion and brought two fingers up in front of her face as she thrust her other hand palm open in the direction of the creature. She was halfway through some sort of chanting when she happened to glance over at Keiko, who was staring at Avari wide eyed. She hesitated for a moment, relishing in the fact that it had been nice to feel normal, even if it had only been for a little while.Seeming to respond to her pause, the monster began to craw towards Avari- cursing in the tongues of a dark underworld her heart wished she could forget.

_A lesser demon of the Kaze no Kurai clan, _she thought to herself with disgust.It lifted itself into an awkward handstand and began to lumber towards her, its bottom jaw distending to reveal rows upon rows of jagged teeth. Within its now cavernous mouth, a small orb of black-lit energy began to churn and grow.

Her hand forced, she quickly finished the chant. The young woman's eyes flared briefly, and a blue flame spiraled from her hand into the creature's gaping maw. With a shrill cry, the large beast's gray skin becomes mottled with a dense pattern of ancient kanji. What seemed to be the black ink of the symbols began to expand until the creatures figure seemed nothing more than a bizarrely shaped void. The wind died down as the void folded into itself and vanished. Avari relaxed her arms and looked over at Keiko, who is now standing but still regarding her strangely.

She regretted having to reveal what she really was, but she couldn't regret it, she had to concentrate on her mission. It wasn't her job to be worried what this girl thought of her, though for a brief moment she wished that she had kept her cover better. It was too late now, though, and there was absolutely nothing Avari could do about it now.Her thoughts were broken as a veiled youkai presence passed over her at extreme speeds. She looked the direction it left in. _Towards the school._ She immediately realized.

She looked briefly at Keiko, her face betraying nothing of her thoughts. A fraction of a second passed and she was running at her full speed without a hesitation. The trees and ground beneath her seemed nothing but a blur, but no matter how fast she was going by human standards, the girl was quite sure that the demon she saw was moving faster...her only chance of catching up to it is if it _choose_ to stop before reaching its destination. She didn't leave herself much room for thoughts besides that- she was far too concentrated on catching up to the demon.

Nearly flying through a stand of bushes, Avari arrived just in time to see the demonic presence standing idly in a tree overlooking a courtyard table where Yusuke, Kuwabara, and a red haired man are sitting- seemingly unware of the youkai's approach. A chill ran through her body as she recognized the red-head's spirit energy as distinctly youkai.Although she didn't have time to make a full evaluation of what was going on with the former three, she made a command decision in milliseconds that she wasn't sure she had to spare.

_The demon on the ground is closer to them, which makes it their immediate problem right now...with their power, they should at least be able to hold it off for awhile... _As soon as her decision was made, she turned her full attention on the demon before her.

From the back, all she could see of the youkai in the tree was his spikey black hair and black garment. She did, though notice a sheathed sword about the right size for a katana strapped to his back. The demon appeared ready to descend on the hapless group below him, so Avari rushed in without second thought to make the first move. Although the youkai was only a few inches taller than her and possessed a frame that was only slightly bigger, she felt certain that he was suppressing a great deal of power. She readied her kunai for attack…

ZE END!!

_Kunai are dagger/knives used for throwing and close combat by ninjas Kaze no Kurai translates to Dark Wind._

And the chapter ends! Well, that's all for now. Please rate me, and message me with any suggestions, comments, criticism, or anything else. By next episode, you will have met most of the cast, and gotten more information about your mysterious past and agenda. peace


	3. Chapter 3

_I have no reason not to trust Yusuke and Kuwabara. They seemed okay earlier._ She thought to herself, prepared.Wielding a kunai in each hand, she leaped towards the youkai. Seconds faded into the vastness of time as she watched the glinting edge of her silver blade close the width of open air separating it from its target. Like a relentless bird of prey, the daggers in Avari's hands seemed to fly on their own accord- straining to nest themselves in the dark black fabric that covered the youkai's unsuspecting back. With time still crawling, her eyelids closed to blink, enveloping her world in passing nothingness.

Her gaze refocused as her eyes opened to find her blades nearly touching their mark, their metallic shine now framed entirely by the raven colored background. In less than a heartbeat, a strong youki bombarded her senses and her kunai found themselves alone in the air- their target seemingly vanished. She landed agilely on the same branch that the demon had perched on mere seconds before, eyes wide and adrenaline rushing.

_What the? Where did he go?_

Though the youki seems suppressed, she sensed an angry aura appear behind her. She realized that it must have been the demon, but was unable to do anything but back flip off the branch as it shattered beneath the powerful katana attack meant for her. She landed nimbly on her feet, but the same aura arrived behind her with such speed, that for a moment she thought that there must be two demons. Avari leapt forward, narrowly dodging an attack that split the ground into a deep chasm beneath it.

She continued to weave between the demons almost ceaseless attacks, finding impossible to do anything but dodge and parry. During her pursuit, she had realized that this youkai's speed surpassed hers, but she had never dreamed that the margin that separated their abilities was so profound. As she finished her thought, she gasped- having realized that her split second of musing was all the opening the youkai needed. He had already appeared beside Avari, and she recognized instantly that he was now too close for her to dodge effectively. She could feel the air pressure of the attack before she saw the blade of his katana rushing towards her face, and barely managed to shield herself from a skull shattering attack by having swiftly formed an X-guard with her kunai. She realized that it had been close- far too close and she couldn't afford to be so careless again. If she just concentrated she was positive that she could defeat him.

The young woman spun out of her guard, and flung her arms wide as she flipped backwards, sending a barrage of six kunai speeding towards the demons unprotected side. She rounded off into a stand, icy eyes wide and trembling as they followed the metallic blurs whizzing through the air, willing the kunai to hit.

The demon turned its head in her direction, expression clearly a step beyond irritated, and then seemed to vanish. She took a step backwards, eyes zipping about her surroundings. A sudden impact on her stomach knocked all the air from her lungs. Acting on years of training, she moved to your right, desperate to put some distance between her and the assailant. Though her legs began moving, her head was jerked backwards by the hair, and she was aware o the acute pain of her skull connecting with something hard, sending a pounding thud resonating painfully through her brain.

Her vision became clouded by a haze of dizziness, and she closed her eyes briefly, taking time to re-center herself. She opened her eyes to find the world finally moving at a normal speed again and her 'target' holding her to a tree with one hand imbedded in her dark hair. His second hand held a gleaming katana which made its steely path from the hilt to a tip that she could feel just nicking the skin above her jugular. The demon's dark red eyes bored into her and she felt almost assaulted by the aggression in his aura.

**'Who are you? What kind of games are you monsters playing?!' **She looked up at him, confused and angry. What was he talking about? She wasn't the monster here...she'd have to figure out what he was talking about once she was back on top of the game.

She made no reply and stared defiantly into his eyes. As if to emphasize his point, he pulled her up a bit by the hair and leaned in so that the blade of the katana rested on her throat.

**'What are you after?!' **He shouted, only inches from her face.

In the background, she heard Yusuke's voice ring out, **'Holy shit...Avari?! Hiei?!'**

Avari didn't have the time to analyze or even understand what Yusuke said, but the very sound of his voice hit a nerve in her. If she didn't stop this demon now, who would protect the rest of the people in the area? Her memories flooded her mind with a scattered collage of images at supersonic speed, and Avari's emotions reacted violently, tapping into a deep well of power. An expression of calm determination returned to her face and in one swift motion she raised two kunai to the blade at her throat, drawing it off her windpipe as she launched herself off the tree. The girl managed to embed one blade a little ways into the demon's shoulder as she flew over his head.

Landing on the ground in a low crouch, she turned to face the enemy, kunai readied, prepared to leap again. Expecting to hear the clang of metal, or the feel the yielding impact of steel and flesh as you push off the ground, she was surprised to instead feel two pairs of hands grab her from the back and side.

She turned her head enough to recognize Yusuke and Kuwabara struggling to hold her back despite her best attempts to continue her attack. Avari's stomach dropped as seconds ticked by, certain that the demon was smugly making his way towards her- getting closer with each moment wasted- katana in hand, and murderous intent in mind. She didn't understand why they wouldn't just let her go!

She looked back to the position where she had last seen her adversary, and was amazed to see that he had only moved a foot or two. Her mind struggled to understand what was going on. Though his katana was brandished in the air, and his aura and expression were still markedly angry…he had stopped. Why? Her eyes widened as she finally noticed the missing piece of the puzzle. Standing behind the dark haired demon and apparently holding onto its sword and collar, was the red headed demon from before. She could hear the smaller youkai yelling furiously, but was too dazed to concern herself with the content.

Avari quickly returned to her senses and continued to yell behind her, **'Did you hear me?! Let me go! You're both in danger!'**

Not yielding to her thrashing, Yusuke yelled back **'Would you quit it! Kurama's got Hiei. Whatever this is about is over! It's okay now, so calm down!'**

She swore in her mind. _If that red-headed youkai is who he's referring to as 'Kurama' then he and I have a large difference in the definition of 'okay_ The restrained girl sighed mentally. _I must've really overestimated these two if they can't recognize these two as demons on their own..._

She snapped back, **'This is so far from okay! That other guy's a demon, too! Don't you get it?!'**

'**We know, and I'm telling ya it's okay! Now calm down!'**

_We know?! _Completely confused and feeling like her brain just might melt out her ear, she stopped struggling, and went almost completely limp. Kuwabara released her as she fell to a kneel on the ground, but Yusuke continued to hang onto her wrists as he knelt beside her , and yelled across to the pair of demons,

**'Hiei! What the Hell is going on?!'**

The demon shifted his furious crimson gaze from Kurama to Yusuke, obviously fuming. **'How should I know?! First Botan barges in and practically orders me here without explanation, and then I get ambushed and you're all on her side. **_**You**_** tell **_**me**_** what's going on, moron!'**

At the mention of Botan's name, Avari's mind seemed to reboot and began reevaluating the situation. Had her luck finally turned around? Her mind was busy with a million other thoughts as she became aware that Yusuke was staring at her, seemingly very surprised that she had initiated the previous fight. Quieting her mind, she just stared back.

**'You attacked Hiei?' **She nodded, still more concerned on how to make the most out of this situation. **'You're not an ordinary transfer student at all, are you?'**Avari shrugged, **"You noticed that, huh?"****'So why did you attack Hiei?' **Asked Kuwabara, rubbing his head and looking puzzled as he plopped down cross legged on the grass next to Avari and Yusuke. She felt Yusuke release his grip on her wrists and saw Kurama free Hiei as well. The smaller demon glowered at her as he yanked the kunai from his shoulder and threw it into a near by bush. The pair approached and she couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

She looked down and answered sourly, **'because he's a demon...' **She sighed as she noticed the blank expressions that surrounded her. **'and I'm a Midou Ninja.'**

**'That's impossible.' **Kurama said cooly as he took a seat on the grass as well. Yusuke and Kuwabara turned to look at him, their eyes prying for more information. He continued. **'The Midou clan was massacred five years ago after the breaking of the Tasogare alliance...'**

**'Massacred,' **she interrupted, pulling back a portion of her hair to reveal an ornate black lacquered ear cuff, **'but not wholly wiped out.' **

A sense of recognition seems to hit both demons squarely and Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged confused looks. Kurama's expression changed to one of surprise, and Hiei, now leaning against a nearby tree, raised an eyebrow.

**'This cuff is given to each new ninja when we are initiated into the clan. It bears the seal of Midou as well as the enchanted sutra Kigasuku. Just as our ninjitsu can only be practiced by members of the clan, these seals can only be worn by those of Midou blood.'** She looked coldly at Kurama, her light blue eyes seeming icier than ever, **'Ample proof that my allegiance is more than 'possible'.'**

**'That still doesn't explain everything...' **Yusuke looked at Avari gravely.

She ran her fingers through her hair, the choppy black and blue locks hiding her ear from view once more. **'The Midou Clan are servants of the divine spirit Yoake, and are charged with protecting others from evil. We've fought for millennia against any force that dares venture into the human world to plague the lives of mortals.'**

**'And you thought Hiei was a threat to us?'**

She nodded and looked up, meeting Hiei's seething gaze. **'Yeah. That and I can't stand the sight of youkai...'**

**'Ironic.' **Hiei said with a smirk, **'considering that no human, not even a Midou ninja, could have the physical strength and speed you displayed earlier'**

Kuwabara's jaw dropped to the floor. **'You're a Youkai, too?!'**

**'I am NOT a youkai!' **she snapped.

**'Not a **_**full**_** youkai, you mean.' **Hiei sneered, obviously enjoying her outburst. All Avari could do was stare him down, though she felt her hand curl into a tightly wound fist.

Trying to avoid another fight, Yusuke interjected. **'So why did you transfer here?' **

Having seen no way to move forward other than to give them the basic details, she answered. **'I've dedicated my life to making sure that the human world remain safe...just as my ancestors have in decades past. My sources all said that a large amount of supernatural occurrences take place here, and I came to investigate a lead I have.'**

**'And you really saw something in the tree by the window, earlier?' **Yusuke inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Avari nodded. **'It had a strong youki to it, and it's aura was unmistakably evil...I'm certain it's here for blood...' **She paused before continuing **'I noticed your ki as well, neither of you is 'just a student' either...who are you people?'**

**'It may not be wise to trust her so quickly' **Kurama warned. She bristled slightly at the sound of his voice, uncomfortable with the proximity the two demons now had to her.

Yusuke scratched behind his ear and closed his eyes, apparently thinking hard about his response. **'Yeah...I don't know how much we can tell you right now...but I can promise you that we're good guys too'** He smiled at her, seeming to hope she'd understand. **'Kurama and Hiei may be demons, I can give you my word that they're on the same side as us...let us handle this demon for right now, and I promise that I'll tell you more if I can later...'**

**'Go home and get out of our way.' **Hiei shot her another scathing look and she returned it in kind.Part of her wanted to tell them off, but she wasn't sure how that would affect getting more information about Boton, so she kept her mouth shut…

LE FIN!

A/N;; _youkai: another word for demon youki: the demonic form of 'ki' or spirit energy aura: energy field around living things often revealing information about emotional states and personal intentions Tasogare Alliance: 'Twilight Alliance' The name has significance regarding those involved Yoake: literally 'daybr, _

Thanks for reading! Things to ponder until next time: What was Hiei yelling about? Why is she so interested in Botan? What is she up to? Leave some reviews- you know you want to.


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